Infidelity to Fidelity
by her l y r i c s
Summary: In some ways, betrayal is inevitable. When our bodies betray us, surgery is often the key to recovery. When we betray each other, the path to recovery is less clear.
1. Expect

**Infidelity to Fidelity**

_**Dovesary **_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter One: **Expect

* * *

_Suck on my fingertips until you've killed all my prints…_

_So your boyfriend has no clue…_

_How much I've been touching you… _

The wind was biting and sharp; the sky a somber grey. Sunlight filtered weakly through the shrouding clouds, darkening the shadows that hung in the forest whose remains were skeleton-like. Gracefully descending from the nearly bare branches was the increasingly uncommon leaf, floating down to hide the hard, dry earth with crunchy covering.

A wisp of breath puffed out between winter-chapped lips, just to be sucked forward into the panting mouth before it. Roseate hair floated on the wind, tangling with wild locks of silver, before being caught in a draft and dragged back in the surrounding atmosphere. A red scarf flapped lazily in the wind while its owner straightened her clothing.

"We can't keep doing this…" Sakura breathed, taking the fresh, autumn air into burning lungs.

"I know…I know," responded Kakashi. His ninja headband clinked against hers as he leaned forward and rested his forehead against Sakura's, trying to calm his haggard breathing. He felt hands tug at the zipper of his jeans, and nimble fingers buttoning them closed. The hands then traveled upwards, slowly climbing up his chest and wrapping around his neck to bring his mouth back down to parted lips.

"But I don't want to stop…," She said in between indolent kisses. She felt his lips shift and change, gliding into a crooked smirk. It was his naughty smirk; saved for moments like these. Times when they could be caught anywhere having their fun little tryst: behind stores, the side of the Jounin Tower, in the house she shared with her boyfriend. The thought of being caught just added on to the thrill, ascending their lustful state into a frenzied thing.

Kakashi let out a sigh and pulled his tongue back into its natural cavern. He forced himself to take a step away from Sakura and her oh, so tempting mouth.

"You'd best get going. He's going to start wondering where you are soon." He shoved freezing, bare hands into his pockets, wishing he'd been smart enough to bring gloves.

"Yeah…plus it's my turn to make dinner." Sakura grabbed her white coat, pulling it on and yanking red and black gloves from a pocket. She then tossed a pair at him. "How'd I know I'd be giving those back today?" she smiled flippantly, running her fingers through her hair to straighten it.

"Thanks," he replied nonchalantly, slipping his hands into his old gloves.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she waved, turning away from Kakashi and his haunting grin. She shook her head to remove the image of it, even if just for a while as she dipped down to pick up the grocery bag she'd dropped when he'd come out of nowhere just to seduce her into another tryst. She couldn't stop herself from smiling as she heard him leave. _That idiot…_ He was insatiable. Just a few hours before they had been in a passion-filled entanglement on his kitchen table when, for all her boyfriend knew, she'd merely gone to talk with their old teacher.

* * *

Sasuke glanced up from the mission report he was working on to see his girlfriend walk in the front door, brining with her a burst of chilly air. Sakura left her shoes at the door then took off her gloves and jacket, setting them on the back of the couch as she made her way towards the kitchen/dinning room. She then walked over to Sasuke, giving him a kiss on his cheek, before slumping down into one of the kitchen tables chairs and setting a clear, plastic bag on the table-top.

He set down the pencil and turned to face her, disrupting her actions as he took one of her feet into his lap. Slowly, he began to press his thumb into the arc of her foot, tracing lines across the sole with his fingers. He repeated the action with her other foot. The whole moment was brief but one of the things he'd forced himself to learn for the sake of a relationship. By no means did he do it everyday – he wasn't entirely fond of most of things he'd picked up, bothering with them only on needed occasions.

Upon giving Sakura back control of her feet, Sasuke tugged at her wrist, signaling for her to come into his lap, a request to which the kunoichi easily complied.Sakura's head lolled back on Sasuke's shoulder as he placed gentle kisses upon her jaw line. She hummed in pleasure and reached a hand behind her to stroke his hair.

"How was your mission?" She asked softly, lazily. Her breath stirred his bangs lightly.

"They're becoming more mundane. It seems as though I'm still under observation from the 5th. She's made it clear that trust is harder to come by the second time around."After speaking he rested his chin on her shoulder, giving himself a moment to relax, appreciating the closeness for what it was – luxury. Sasuke of all people knew exactly what it was like to live without such a thing and now that he had time to focus on more than the past and Itachi he was willing to take every moment he could spare to revel in warmth of others. This was, of course, only in private and amongst close friends. A thing he was proud of was being able to count the number on only one hand. Too many close ties created weakness. The number was just large enough to keep him happy and just small enough to protect them all.

"I bought some ingredients for something new tonight," Sakura started as she moved slowly to stand. Gathering some of the foodstuffs she'd entered with, "Temari told me about it on her last visit and I've wanted to try it." She filled a pot with water and continued, "It makes used of the desert herbs and has whole grain noodles. She said that if you don't use whole grain it tastes weird." She might've continued if she knew he'd be interested in what he was eating, but after getting dragged around town by Naruto for the past five meals she knew he'd be ready to eat nearly anything that wasn't ramen. He'd started back to his paperwork anyway. She left to the bedroom to change after asking him to keep an eye on the water and add the noodles when it started boiling. With his silent nod, she closed the door.

Sakura rifled through dresser drawers until she found a pair of black sweatpants and a white undershirt, not caring whether they were hers or his. Undressing to her underwear, she noticed a light bruise—damn Kakashi and his rough fingers. It was so hard to remind of it when they were so distracting. She would have to get onto him about it though some time soon, it felt like he was getting rougher of late.

Sakura smiled and shook her head, letting go of the thought as she donned the clothes and then proceeded to trot down the stairs to make sure that Sasuke hadn't let some of the pasta burn again. He may know how cook – but when there were other things to be done, food had a tendency to get damaged in the process.

* * *

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly into the pale orange glow of an early morning sun. She laid there a moment more, lazily enjoying the feel of Sasuke's arm around her. She sat up so that she could see the alarm clock on the bedside table without Sasuke's head getting in the way of her sight, and determined that it was only 7 o'clock. Waking up this early without a task to be done was an oddity for her. Her normal waking hour was about nine.

Then, suddenly, a wave of queasiness ran through her stomach. Groaning, she lurched towards the bathroom and was sick in the toilet. Soon, the heaving stopped as her stomach appeared to be empty. She shakily wiped her mouth on the back of her hand as she slouched against the wall. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why she getting sick.

She pondered all explanations she could think of; each time she always reached the same conclusion. It fit with other things she hadn't even thought of. Maybe Kakashi hadn't been getting rougher lately… Mentally she checked her calendar. She was late…

Slowly she placed a shaking hand over her stomach accompanying it with a light surge of chakra. Nothing was going to happen, of that she was sure. She concentrated running basis diagnostics when she felt it.

_There's no way that I could be…_

Then, just barely noticeable to the chakra, was a small, new life form.

…_Pregnant… _

End.


	2. Lyrical Lies

Infidelity to Fidelity 

_**Dovesary **_

**Disclaimer**:_I do not own Naruto._

**Chapter Two: Lyrical Lies **

_I'll live your lies and alibis_

_The telltale stories in your eyes_

_Because you are, you are the one I love… _

* * *

_Oh my God…_

With a trembling hand, Sakura swiped at a droplet of sweat forming on her upper lip. Warmth bubbled up from behind her jade eyes and slowly tipped over the edge, sorting through damp eyelashes until plopping onto her soft cheek and rolling down. She licked dry lips and tasted the salty water of her tears. The soft pads of her fingers traced through lines of wetness on her face and came away damp. She stared at those moist fingertips unseeingly.

_I can't believe I'm pregnant…I need to see Tsunade…_

Wiping her face once again, Sakura stood up slowly, grabbing onto the counter to support shaky legs. She turned on the shower and stripped off her clothes. She then locked the bathroom door. Sasuke always liked make love—Sakura gave a bitter laugh. There wasn't anything loving about it. It was more like an animal rutting—in the morning, but she just wasn't feeling up to it right now. As she was walking back towards the shower, she stopped in front of the mirror above the sink.

Her eyes were hollow and blank. Her hair was stringy and in need of a major brushing, but whatever. Her eyes followed the curves of her body—her breasts had gotten a little bigger, she noted—until they reached her stomach. It was still flat and toned. There was nothing there. Nothing to give away her secret. She turned to the side and placed a hand on her stomach. Her belly was still slender-looking. But when she concentrated her chakra, she could still feel the tiny, barely created life form slowly, lethargically almost, moving inside of her womb. With a disgusted shake of her head, she moved to the shower and got in. Ready to soak and scrub away her bad thoughts.

* * *

Tsunade stared at the girl in front of her. She was very surprised. Where was her damn sake when she needed it? 

"I'm sorry dear, what was that again? I think I've had one too many this morning, or something. I could've sworn you just said that you were pregnant…" She blinked rapidly and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Sakura kept her eyes fixated on the floor when she squeaked out an affirmative.

"Well…I must say I'm shocked." Which was putting it lightly, but Tsunade didn't want Sakura to feel any worse than what she was apparently, already feeling. "You know all of the ways to prevent pregnancy…" She muttered, and shook her head. She gazed at the depressed-looking girl before her felt…sad. Sakura—her apprentice and friend—looked so…ashamed. There was absolutely nothing wrong with pregnant…

Tsunade shook her head again and felt her doctor instincts kick in.

"Alright. I'm going to need you to change into this gown so that I can start your exam." She handed Sakura a pale blue, paper gown as she grabbed Sakura's medical-records folder and flipped to a blank page. When she turned back around, her student—now turned patient—was already sporting the gown.

"Firstly, I need to ask you some questions. I'm assuming that the father is Sasuke, so…" Tsunade's eyes widened as Sakura stiffened and looked up at her guiltily. "What? Am I wrong? Is he not the father?"

"I don't know…" The pink hair girl mumbled and blushed a bright red.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'? I'm not trying to scold you or embarrass you Sakura. I just need to know. I'm your doctor now. Anything you say will never leave this room; patient/doctor confidentiality and all that. If you can't tell me as your doctor, then tell me as your friend." Tsunade crossed her arms, holding the folder tightly against her large chest, awaiting the answer.

"…It might be Sasuke's…but it could be…Kakashi's too…" Sakura felt even worse saying it. Doing it was one thing, telling Tsunade—the Hokage, and her teacher—was completely different.

Tsunade was once again shocked. It wasn't like Sakura was not old enough to take Kakashi as a lover now, seeing as how the girl was 23, but it was just…weird. It wasn't illegal--or even uncommon, now-a-days, it was just sex after all—neither would get into trouble—until Sasuke found out at least. She'd just never thought of the two that way…together. She had always thought that Sasuke would forever be the one and only for Sakura.

Tsunade shook off her astonishment, and masked her face into one that would (hopefully) put Sakura at ease.

"Does either man know?" She wanted to know.

"About what? Each other or the baby?" Sakura's response was biting and held bitterness, with an edge of sorrow and regret. _Poor child…_Tsunade thought.

"Both."

"Kakashi knows about Sasuke of course. Sasuke doesn't know about Kakashi—at least, I don't think he does. Neither know about the baby." Sakura leaned back on her hands and crossed her legs at the ankles, trying to get comfortable on the plastic-covered hard-foam of the medical table.

Tsunade scribbled some notes onto the blank paper.

"Okay. I'll need to test both men for STD's and the like. You'll have to be tested as well, of course. I'll also need a urine sample from you…" Sakura stared at Tsunade. _Oh God…_She had to tell the guys? Why couldn't she just keep it a secret? What if she wanted to get rid of the baby? She voiced her questions.

"Sakura, you're one of the ones who most avidly abhorred abortion. I can't believe you'd change your mind. It doesn't change the fact that you're killing a living thing. One that can't even defend itself." She added the last bit because she knew that killing was an everyday thing in a kunoichi's life.

"But it does change! It's _me_, now! It was easy to say that abortion is a horrible thing when it's someone else! It's different when you're the one pregnant…" Sakura was standing now, fists clenched at her sides, chest heaving.

Tsunade just looked at her calmly, her eyes a bit cold. "And I told you that, didn't I? That the feeling always changes when it happens to you—that you may change your mind when put into a situation that makes you uncomfortable and is new, or where the outcome is one that you may not like."

Sakura glared at Tsunade, her eyes widened to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. "But…"

"No, Sakura. No buts. Do you want this baby, or not? Tell me now. I don't want to waste my time taking tests when in two days you may come back and say you don't want it. Now, what do you want to do?" Her voice was hard; her lips were thinned in anger and her eyes were artic.

"I…I…" Did she really want to kill it? This…this tiny, poor creature who hadn't even had a chance at life? _Her_ baby—her _child_. No. She wouldn't—couldn't--kill it. "...No. I want it. I want to keep my baby." The tears spilled over then and emotions shook her insides, spreading outward until her whole body was trembling.

Tsunade's eyes softened and she set down the manila folder. Sakura's hands covered her face and muffled her loud sobs somewhat when she felt strong arms surround her. No soothing words were spoken; Tsunade just let Sakura cry on her shoulder until she was finished.

Sakura pulled out of the embrace with a sniffle and sent a tiny smile Tsunade's way.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think you made the right decision." The blonde woman smiled softly and wiped at the slow tears underneath Sakura's bright eyes. "Now, then. Shall we finish the exam?"

At Sakura's nod, Tsunade proceeded with the rest of the exam.

"Okay, then." She started as Sakura made herself comfortable on the bed again. "As I said, I'll need to check both of the boys, so you have to tell them soon." She flipped back in the chart and read some files. "You don't have any major medical problems, nor are you on any medications. Alright, let's get you weighed and check your blood pressure."

Sakura stood and walked over to the scale, bare feet freezing on the cold tile floor. She weighed herself—seeing as she knew how to do it, and everything—and read the answer back to Tsunade. "110 pounds."

"You're a little underweight for your height, but not majorly. Come here so we can check your blood pressure." Tsunade checked it. "Alright, that's fine."

"Now, before we proceed with the pelvic exam and Pap smear, I want to ask you some more questions." Tsunade sat down in a swivel chair and turned herself towards Sakura. "When was your last menstrual cycle?"

"Last month—October."

"Okay…and its November now…so, you're what? Almost a month pregnant? Yeah…" She wrote down some numbers and then fiddled with a calculator. "And you've already started with the morning sickness—fun, isn't it?" She grinned up at Sakura and then looked back down at the calculator. "Alright. Your approximate due date is August second of next year."

A burst of excitement raced through Sakura. She was almost…happy to be pregnant now.

Tsunade stood up and walked towards the bed that Sakura was situated on. _Oh, yay…the pelvic exam…_

"I need you to remove your underwear, Sakura." The Hokage said as she straightened the metal stirrups attached to the bed. Then I need you to put the heels of your feet in these—I don't know why I'm telling you this, you already know what's going on, huh?" She grinned as she pulled on her gloves. She then walked over to Sakura—who was now lying down, with her legs spread-- and began the pelvic exam.

* * *

Sasuke blinked hazy eyes as he walked down the streets of Konoha, his loud best friend next to him, retelling a story that was supposed to be appealing, but truthfully, was extremely uninteresting, at least to the Uchiha. He and Naruto had just finished eating at Naruto's favorite ramen stand and Sasuke was ready to go home. He wanted to see if Sakura was back or not yet. 

When he had awoken, his girlfriend wasn't there. There was only a piece of paper saying that she had to go see Tsunade and that she loved him and would be back soon.

He stuffed his hands inside the pockets of his worn jeans and rolled his neck around his shoulders, stretching out stiff muscles.

Naruto stopped the telling of his story, hands frozen in mid air as he glanced at Sasuke. He seemed…drained.

"Sasuke? You okay?" He asked, arms falling to his sides now. "You seem kind of weird and out of it."

"Nah. I'm fine." He grunted. "…Just…does it seem…" He sighed noisily. "Does it seem like Sakura has been acting different, lately? You see her almost as much as I do, which is practically never now…She's always out training with Kakashi…"

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe he's just working her too much. One-on-one with Kakashi is pretty difficult. Remember how tired you were after one of his work outs?" He raised his eyebrows in question.

Sasuke nodded, this seemed like a good enough reason…But he still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was different.

He shook his head as he bid farewell to Naruto and walked slowly through the gate and up the walkway to his house.

* * *

"Oh. My. God!" Ino all but screamed. "You're _pregnant_! Oh, my God! I'm so excited!" She squealed and hugged her theoretical rival, although everyone knew that they were truly best friends. "Have you told Sasuke yet? I'm sure he'll be thrilled. He's always wanted an heir…" The blonde rambled on. 

"Ino, _Ino_, INO!" The blonde looked at Sakura, eyes wide. "Remember when I told you about that time when Kakashi and I…well, slept together?" Sakura asked timidly.

Ino nodded her head slowly, not following this new train of thought. This had happened almost a year ago, why was she bringing it up now?

Sakura glanced down guiltily. "Well...that wasn't the last time…"

"…What…? So…you and Kakashi are still…? Oh my…Oh, my God. So…it might be Kakashi's? Shut up…" Ino stared at Sakura, eyes wide and unblinking.

Sakura looked down at the floor then back up at Ino.

"How do I tell Sasuke that the baby might not be his?" Sakura wanted to know.

"What?"

Sakura gasped and stood, whirling around to face the hallway where the front door was.

"Sasuke…!"

* * *

End. 

This is officially my least favorite chapter. One day, I'll have to revise it all because it's ghastly. The characterization and the syntax? Both horrid. I apologize.


	3. From a Whisper to a Scream

**Infidelity to Fidelity **

_Dovesary_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I also do not own the quotes that I use to summarize each chapter.

**This chapter contains adult contents!**

_**Author's Note:**__Reviewers, you are truly amazing. Without you, this story would be going nowhere_.

**Chapter Three: From a Whisper to a Scream**

* * *

_We can see the child moving rather serenely in the uterus. The child senses aggressions in its sanctuary. We see the child's mouth open wide in a silent scream._

* * *

"How do I tell Sasuke that the baby might not be his?"

"What?" The startled utterance was out of his mouth before Sasuke even had a chance to recognize he had processed what Sakura had said. The only words he truly caught were 'baby-- not his'. Sakura was pregnant? Since when? The baby possibly wasn't his? How the hell could it not be his?

He watched, bemused, as pink hair flew, swirling around Sakura's face as she turned on a fulcrum. Shocked jade eyes stared into his.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke just glared torpidly at her, then flicked his gaze towards Ino, who now stood behind Sakura, one hand on her shoulder, the other to her own mouth. He watched as Ino's eyes wavered uncertainly back and forth between himself and Sakura.

"Ino…leave. Now." His avowal was harsh and rude, but surprisingly, the tone which in it was spoken was relatively normal. Customary for Sasuke, his words were laced with a sharp edge of ice.

The blonde-haired girl looked uncertainly at Sakura, which just pissed him off. His fists clenched as his eyes flared in a shocking demonstration of external fury. He'd told the girl to leave. He was the man of the house, not fucking Sakura.

"Ino! Leave the god-damned house!" He took a menacing step towards the girls, only to be stopped by the black leather sofa.

"Sasuke! Stop! Don't be so mean to her! Your fight is with me; leave Ino alone." Fire had built up behind Sakura's eyes; the heat there made anger burn more readily inside his chest. "Ino—it's alright. I'll be fine. You can leave. Thanks for coming. I really needed someone to talk to." She turned away from Sasuke to look at Ino, giving her a smile that she hoped was reassuring. It was hard to be brave on the outside when she felt so cowardly on the inside.

"Are you sure, Sakura?" Ino leaned closer to Sakura, glancing at Sasuke as she cupped a hand around the other girl's ear and whispered, "I can go get Kakashi, Sakura. Don't let Sasuke hurt you. I can get Kakashi and have him here immediately." She stepped away, worried eyes roving Sakura's face for a slip in her seemingly unbreakable mask.

Sakura just took Ino's hand and smiled amiably. "No, Ino. Don't worry about it. We'll be fine. That'll only cause more problems. Trust me." Still holding Ino's hand, she walked around the couch, passing Sasuke as she headed toward the foyer. "Thanks again for coming over Ino." She shut the door on her friend's worried protests, fear growing in the pit of her stomach. She faced the door, her breathing shallow. She couldn't understand why her fear was so great. She had defeated countless enemy ninja's. Why couldn't she defend herself against him?

It was always he she was weakest near. She despised herself for that.

She brought her hands up to lay flat against the metal door as she felt movement behind her. Sasuke's hard body touched the back of hers and hands slammed against the door on both sides of her face. Sakura turned head, placing her cheek against the coolness of the door. It also removed her nose out of an easy position of being broken.

Sasuke's hot, angry breath puffed against her ear, making the strands of hair there flutter weakly.

"So, honey. Who else have you been fucking?" The furious words hurt, but the icy tone used stung even more. "Was he better than me? Maybe his dick was wider, even longer possibly? Come on. Tell me. How good of a fuck was the mystery man?"

Inner Sakura screamed in outrage. How dare he talk to her like that! Pain be damned, Sakura was going to stand up for herself. She may have been a weak little girl who took all of Sasuke's verbal abuse when she was younger, but not any more.

"He was amazing, actually. _Kakashi_, was absolutely amazing. And yes, he is wider than you." She said this coolly. She sent chakra speeding through her veins and muscles. She was prepared to push him off of her when unexpectedly he roughly turned her around.

Her head was still spinning when a loud _smack_! was heard. She would've fallen to the floor but Sasuke's grip on her wrist was relentless. His grip on her wrist was crushing and the ligaments were being torn from sustaining her full weight but Sakura, in spite of it, sent chakra up her arm to her wrist to support it better. Pain rushed up quickly to her cheek and lips. Blood trickled slowly her chin. She was about to look up at him when the sound came again. This time, she flew back against the door. Thank God she had already been close to it. The amount of strength behind that punch was remarkable. Her left eye started to throb, pulsing with her heart beat.

Sakura was scared; there was no doubt about it. Yes, she was a kunoichi and could fight, but…this was different. It was Sasuke. She didn't want to ever fight him again. She didn't ever want to see him opposite her, in a fighting stance like the day that they had killed Orochimaru. He had defended his 'master' but in the end, had been knocked unconscious.

She glanced up at Sasuke, one hand holding her abused cheek, the other keeping her upright on the floor. Pink hair dangled before her right eye, obscuring her view of him. Her back and head were aching from being slammed against the door. But most of all…her heart hurt. Sakura knew it was her fault initially for ever having an affair with Kakashi, but she hadn't meant any harm. It was illogical to believe that everything would be okay between them after the truth was exposed.

It had started after a fight between Sasuke and Sakura. She had needed comfort and Kakashi just happened to be in the right place, at the right time. It was only a quick rut, against a slide in the park no-less. It was meant to be a one-time thing. But when Sakura stopped having orgasms with Sasuke, she sought out Kakashi again.

Sakura had been too embarrassed to say anything to Sasuke about her lack of orgasms during intercourse. He had stopped getting her off by hand and mouth, claiming that he didn't enjoy it. So, they had just stuck with vaginal penetration when they had sex. Unfortunately, Sakura then found out that she was one of the many women who need a combination of both vaginal and clitoral stimulation. She sometimes used her own hand during intercourse but not very often—it was just too embarrassing for her. She didn't want Sasuke to think that he was a bad lover, so she faked. For four months, she faked.

Sakura tried masturbation when Sasuke wasn't around, but it just wasn't enough. Ino suggested buying a vibrator but Sakura was too uncomfortable to ever actually get one. So, when it became too much, she marched over to Kakashi's house, knocked on his door, and then demanded that he fuck her…which, he did. Three times that night, actually…

Sakura snapped out of her reverie when Sasuke said her name.

"Sakura…" His eyes had lost their angry light, and they stared, astonished, at his own hand. His gaze flicked back and forth between his hand and Sakura. "Sakura…" He reached for her.

"No…" She whispered, shaking her head. "Don't touch me… Please, don't touch me…!" With that, she stood up, opened the door, and ran out into the night, leaving Sasuke there with his hand outstretched towards her running form.

* * *

Pounding at his door startled Kakashi. Here he was, getting to the best part of his book, only to be interrupted. Shaking his head, he laid the novel down, and padded silently towards the door. He opened it, only to be attacked by a wailing, bruised girl.

Sakura's arms wrapped around Kakashi, holding him tightly against her trembling body.

"Sakura…what happened?" He asked, shutting the door with his foot as he hobbled towards the couch, Sakura's body weight in tow.

She mumbled something incoherent into his shirt.

"Sakura, I can't understand you when your mouth is gnawing away at my shirt." He stroked her pink hair and rubbed her arm, being comforting when he barely knew how. Comfort to him was sex; this type of consoling was completely different for him.

She lifted her head and his sharp eyes roamed her face, noting the purple bruise on her cheek and surrounding her eye; he looked at the drying blood on her bottom lip.

"Shit Sakura…what'd he do?" Kakashi asked.

She gripped his shirt tightly in her hands but still didn't look into his eyes.

"He knows Kakashi. He knows about us…"

Kakashi was still, and calm; unfazed by her words.

"Well, I understand why he would be angry about that…"

"That's not the only reason why he's mad…" Her words trailed off and he waited for her to continue.

"The…" She took a deep breath and finally looked into his mismatched eyes. "The baby I'm having might not be his."

* * *

End. 


	4. Until

Infidelity to Fidelity 

_**Dovesary**_

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own Naruto. _

**Chapter Four: **Until

* * *

_This is how it works:_

_You're young until your not,_

_You live until you don't,_

_You try until you can't,_

_You laugh until you cry,_

_You cry until you laugh,_

_And everyone must breathe,_

_Until their dying breath._

* * *

_I hit her. _

_I actually hit her. _

The scene replayed itself in his mind over and over again. Guilt crept up upon him, squeezing his heart in an unrelenting, vice-like grip. Then came the anger. Anger at himself for losing his hard-won control, anger at her for cheating, anger at the guilt for making him feel like he was in the wrong…

Sasuke ran a shaking hand over his face. He was tired, now. Completely and utterly exhausted. Whether it was from the fight and the shock of striking Sakura or from the uncovered secret, he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was both of the situations that made his muscles go limp and his knees give out so that he ended up slumped on floor, his back resting against the front door. _The same door you held her captive against as you interrogated her…_

He shook his head to erase the thought. _She _was the one who cheated! She was the antagonist of this story, not him! Sakura was the one who went behind her partners back and _fucked_ their old teacher! Resentment climbed its way in beside anger and guilt and made itself at home there, resting next to his heart. But, underneath those pushy emotions, hiding in fear of being shoved completely away, was something akin love. He still harbored feelings for Sakura. Even an event such as cheating couldn't erase the feelings he had for her. Yes, he was mad at her (and Kakashi, of course. He couldn't forget him) but that didn't make him love (is that what it was? He wasn't sure if he was capable of feeling that for anyone ever again) her any less. The trust factor had diminished quite a bit, he admitted, but not love.

At first, when he realized that she had cheated on him, he was beyond rational thought. Fury overtook him and yet, now, he still couldn't force himself to completely hate her for it. It had made his thinking irrational and crazy. At least, that's what he told himself.

He sighed heavily and leaned his head back, resting it on the door. He brought a hand up and laced the fingers through his hair, closing them tightly over the strands, feeling the satisfactory pull. He closed his eyes tightly as they began to sting. Sasuke sat there for a long time, thinking over the life-altering events that had taken place that night. No one had betrayed him like this since Itachi…

He wasn't sure if he could ever forgive her.

The first heavy breath was his undoing. Proud, stoic Sasuke finally let go; a decade of restricted emotion being set free.

For the first time in a long, long time, Sasuke Uchiha cried. Tears for her, yes, but mostly tears for himself, for what he had lost in one lifetime.

* * *

Moonlight filtered weakly, creeping in from slanted blinds, brightening and darkening corners. Wings fluttered gently, lightly stirring the air currents in the room. Colorful dusts particles floated away from the moth's slow-moving wings, glittering in the moonlit rays. Furred legs rotated carefully as the moth turned, facing the room's occupants.

Mismatched eyes blinked. That long, slow blink that Sakura knew Kakashi did whenever he was trying to comprehend something that seemed to be completely illogical and couldn't compute in his vast mind. The hands squeezing her arms loosened and then slid away fully to rest in his lap.

"Kakashi...," Sakura's hands trembled as she reached for him, but they stopped short when her eyes took in his tensing muscles. A strange, painful tightness filled her chest and caused tears to fall anew from her swollen and raw tear ducts. Her vision blurred as she slowly stood and headed for his bedroom, deciding to give him some time to take in all she had told him. With one last sad look towards Kakashi, she shut his bedroom door with a click.

The sound startled Kakashi and he sent a glance its way before his eyes moved back to the hands in his lap. All in all, he was…unfeeling. His ninja instincts automatically kicked in and his brain fogged over, as it normally did when striking information was told to him. But this….he didn't know how to handle this situation so his callous side came out, freezing any and all unwanted or strange emotions from stirring and disrupting his thought process.

_Baby…_

_Baby…_

Through the haze clouding his mind one word kept repeating itself over and over.

_Baby…_

_Baby…_

_I may have a kid..._Shock shoved its way through the mist and blew it all away. The numbness disappeared and emotions crashed all at once into him. Happiness, distraught, sadness, panic, bliss, anger…but most all, fear.

Kakashi Hatake was afraid.

* * *

Naruto was freezing his ass off. His orange sweatshirt and faded jeans did nothing to alleviate the cold. Thank god Hinata had forced him to wear gloves and a scarf.

He shivered and pulled his hands from the pocket attached to the front of his hoodie, walking stride shifting into a run as he gathered chakra into his feet so that he could leap roof top to roof top until he reached the apartment Sakura shared with Sasuke.

The aforementioned male occupant of the apartment had called Naruto, telling him nothing except that he needed to see him. Naruto asked what was wrong and Sasuke responded with nothing…which always meant something for the brooding boy. He was much like a girl in that aspect. Naruto guffawed silently at the thought of such a man's man being like a woman at all.

Still lightly giggling, Naruto knocked loudly on the door.

"Sasuke!" He called, his voice anything but soft. "Sasuke, answer the damn door. My balls are frozen…well, at least I think they are. They might've fallen off already…," he looked down at his crotch and his hand twitched, needing to feel to be sure. Just as he was about to, Sasuke answered the door.

The black-haired boys stare was impassive.

"What are you doing?" Disgust laced his tones, seeing his friends hand mere centimeters from his groin.

"Ah ha ha...," was the only response Naruto could come up with. He grinned sheepishly, fingers scratching nervously at the base of his neck.

His cerulean eyes sobered up the minute they locked onto onyx ones.

Sasuke was always known for his unemotional looks. Forever was he pokerfaced. But now…Naruto saw something hiding, lying in the background of his eyes; trying to cover itself up so that it would be safe from any and all harm that might befall it and tests it barriers forces. Beyond the normal detachedness was something akin to sadness, and a hurting so strong Naruto's stomach clenched in pain.

"God, Sasuke….what happened?" He reached out a hand to rest on Sasuke's shoulder, but his friend jerked out of his reach and finally opened the door the rest of the way so that Naruto could feel the rush of heat on his face as he stepped inside.

When both men were seated on the couch, Naruto once again asked what had happened.

All at once, Sasuke's mask crumbled and he broke down. Never shedding a tear but telling the whole story—Sakura's pregnancy, her affair, how he'd struck her—in a truly wounded tone. When he finished, his hands were shaking, and his body was trembling, and Sasuke wasn't sure if he could handle the way his heart was aching, and cracking, and breaking open forcefully. Raw emotions weren't something he was accustomed to and the surge became overwhelming.

A dry sob worked its way out from his throat and before he knew it, he was being crushed in a bear hug. Naruto didn't say any comforting words at the moment, but Sasuke didn't care. In a very out-of-character move, he clung back to Naruto, thanking whatever forces were up in heaven that they had given him Naruto, a guy who didn't care how you acted, and someone who would try to be your friend before becoming your foe.

A guy who thought anything was possible if you would just 'believe it!'.

* * *

She lay on her side, back facing the door, hair in a rats nest and really not caring. Her hands cradled her muscled-toned stomach, knowing that soon it would begin to bulge as a little life began to form in her womb. She curled herself up tighter, creating a ball. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her forehead against them. Before she knew it, her eyes were closing and a blessed darkness was taking her over and making her busy mind blank and empty.

She wasn't sure how long she was asleep for—2 minutes, 2 hours—before she heard the bedroom door creeping open. Nearly silent footsteps padded across the hardwood floor. Clothes slithered over skin and then met the floor with a soft noise. The bed dipped and creaked as Kakashi slipped in behind her, pushing down the covers and gently shoving his feet beneath them. Her ball position loosened as he spooned his body to hers.

A hand came to rest up on her belly and stayed there. The other pushed the hair on her neck away so that soft lips could graze the surface.

"A baby," Kakashi whispered into her ear. "_Our_ baby…" Sakura felt his smile against the shell of her, and she herself had to smile.

His breathing became deep and even soon after and she herself was almost asleep before his words registered in her mind.

_Our _baby…

Worry clouded her mind.

There was a 50/50 chance that the baby wasn't his. She couldn't help but wonder if he would be as happy when he realized that.

* * *

End.

**Revised as of March 14, 2008. **


	5. Perfidy

Infidelity to Fidelity 

_**Dovesary **_

**Disclaimer**_I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own Soap Opera's: Cheat on me and I'll cheat on you. It's a real article. I promise. _

**Chapter Five: **Perfidy

* * *

_Then there are some wounds, some betrayals that are so deep, so profound, that there's no way to repair what was lost. And when that happens, there's nothing left to do but wait. _

* * *

Comfortable warmth surrounded her, cocooning her in a pleasing world where she forever felt safe and protected. Her head was tucked neatly into the crevice where the long, muscled line of Kakashi's neck met his equally scrumptious shoulder. She breathed in his scent; a heady mixture of summer forest and weapon cleaner. Underneath that was the musky scent of man and oh, how she loved his unique aroma.

She smiled happily and wrapped her arms more tightly around him, bringing one hand up to tangle into his hair. She loved every inch of his gravity-defying mane. It was nice, having someone with an odd hair color like her. His silver didn't get stared at quite as much as her pink, but that didn't matter.

The hand she had around his back trailed over his hip and climbed up his chest. She loved the smoothness of it; she'd never been a fan of chest hair. Another, more masculine hand came up to hold hers to Kakashi's chest. Emerald met onyx and scarlet. She smiled up at him as he smiled down at her.

"Good morning," he said, kissing her lightly on the nose.

She giggled and responded: "You, too."

She lightly ran a finger up his muscled thigh while watching as heat formed in his eyes. Her world shifted and turned as he flipped them over so that she was above him, sitting on his hips. His hands went to her hips before slowly sliding upward.

Sakura smiled and bent down to kiss his pectoral muscle and then shifted so that she could lightly rake her nails down his abs. They contracted under the touch and the smile she wore morphed into a sultry grin. His fingers touched the underside of her breasts and she bit her lip, anticipating. When his hands finally settled around them and squeezed, she jerked, not in pleasure but in pain.

"Ow! Damn, Kakashi, not so hard." She chastised, grabbing his wrists.

"Sakura, I was barley touching them…" Kakashi pulled his hands from her grasp and rested them atop her thighs.

Sakura pouted when his hands were removed completely but her mood quickly modified when one of those hands settled between her thighs.

"Mmmm…" She moaned, falling into the slow, almost lazy rubbing of his thumb over her. Two of his fingers traced her opening and her breathing grew haggard. "Kakashi, please…" She begged. Her stomach clenched when she felt one dip in before pulling back out. It jerked again, and this time she realized that it had nothing to with anticipation but with morning sickness.

She groaned and lurched off of Kakashi, leaving him alone and confused as she headed for the bathroom.

The sound of retching reached his ears.

"Ah." He said wisely. He sat up, looking forlornly at his wilting erection before sighing and removing the covers from his body. He grabbed his pants from last night and donned them. Kakashi walked into the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and wetting it in cold water. After ringing it out, he went to squat beside Sakura.

Her cheek was resting against the side of the toilet and she looked miserable. Her eyes had just met his before she turned green and once again emptied her stomach.

Kakashi picked her hair up from the back of her neck and grabbed one of her old hair ties from the counter and quickly put her hair into a low ponytail. He flipped up the end so that it was off her neck and tucked into the hair tie. He then draped the washcloth along the back of her neck and sat down beside her, his hand rubbing her back in comforting circles.

"Ughh," she moaned. "God this is gross."

"Tell me about it." He agreed. He glanced over to see her glaring at him.

"Hey, you're the one with the testicles. Take your sperm back, I don't want it." She was trying to keep up her glare, but with the next wave of queasiness and the vomit that followed, it made that kind of hard. "It's your fault I'm like this, so you don't get to complain." _Well, it might be Sasuke's fault, actually…_she added silently.

He just laughed and kept up the soothing rubbing.

* * *

"Ugh, no! Not that room! The mutant zombies are in there…gah! You idiot! What are you, stupid or something?" Naruto ranted at the television, arms thrown up in exasperation as he flopped back towards the couch. He grabbed at the bowl placed between him and Sasuke and angrily crunched on some potato chips.

Sasuke disdainfully watched this play out from the corner of his eye and just barely held himself back from remarking on Naruto's redundancy. That idiot could seriously be such a nuisance at times…

He sighed cantankerously and reigned in his frayed emotions. He knew he was so irritable because what had occurred yesterday but dammit, he just wasn't good dealing with emotions. And geez, he had _cried_! Like he was…was Lee or something! Sasuke was just happy—if you could ever call him _happy_—that he never actually cried in front of Naruto. Oh sure, it would've been fine then because he was hurting and Naruto was comforting him, but no. A few years later and it'd be black mail.

Sasuke mumbled crossly to himself and glared sideways at his rival. No, dammit, they where friends now. He had to remember that.

"God! Sasuke, look at her! I told her! Didn't I tell her?" Naruto looked at him, eyes wide in serious question. "I said: don't go into that room. And what did she do? She went into the room! And now she's been gutted like a pig. Mm-hmm. That's you get. Stupid girl…" Naruto trailed off, muttering as he chewed on the edge of his soda-pop can.

A few minutes later, the movie ended. A tragedy, it seemed, for the world was taken over by the mutant zombies.

Naruto quickly grew bored of the ending credits and turned towards Sasuke after shutting over the movie player.

"I bet we could've taken them, huh Sasuke? Zombies would be no match for us."

Sasuke turned his head slowly towards Naruto. His look was scathing.

"…Well, I mean if zombies uh… you know, were…um, real…heh…" Naruto laughed uncertainly. The laughter trailed off into nothing as he realized Sasuke wasn't paying the slightest bit attention to him. His focus was solely on the television now.

Naruto looked at the screen and sighed. It was the news but of course, with his and Sasuke's luck, the morning news was over, so it was the unimportant gossip that somehow makes its way onto the air. Two women were seated comfortably upon a couch. The title on the screen read: "Soap Opera's: Cheat on Me and I'll Cheat on You"

"…Cheating and lying in relationships seems to be ever more present in today's society, or at least that's what soap opera's portray on a daily basis. The recourse of adultery on these shows seems to have a continual pattern of "cheat on me and I'll cheat on you…"

Grabbing the remote, Naruto hit the off button before casually stretching.

"What a load of crap, huh? These stupid infomercials, or whatever they are, bore me." Naruto laughed and tried to elude the anomalous sensation that had begun to permeate the room.

"Cheat on me and I'll cheat on you…" Sasuke mumbled, black eyes still gazing in the direction of the television.

Naruto stopped mid laugh and turned wide eyes towards his friend. _No_… _He wouldn't… would he? _

"Sasuke…ha ha…Sasuke, buddy, what are you saying over there?" The blonde-haired boy scooted closer towards the Uchiha.

"She cheated on me. So, should I cheat on her?" Sasuke slowly looked up towards Naruto but his onyx eyes were glazed over in dismal thought. "Does it make it okay now for me to do it too? I don't…I do…"

"Sasuke…" Naruto watched his friend sadly, feeling useless and angry. He was so, so angry at his teammate and one-time crush for hurting his best friend. And at his old teacher. How could they, of all people, have done this? Sakura chased after Sasuke for so long, begging him to date her, lamenting about her undying love and devotion, just to leave him? Naruto shook his head; it just didn't make any sense.

"Sasuke, I know this sounds really dumb and cliché, or whatever, but two wrongs don't make a right. Cheating on Sakura isn't going to make anything better. You haven't even talked to her again since the fight and I think that you all need to talk it over again and think about all of this rationally, you know?" Naruto knew that he was rambling, but he couldn't figure out how to express what he needed to say in words. That always seemed to be one of his failings. Unless he was in the middle of a severe battle and half-dead, he couldn't organize a decent speech to save his life. Naruto snorted privately at the unintended pun.

"I mean, you don't even know why she cheated. Does she love him? Who knows? She better not, because gross, we met him when we were twelve—hey, speaking of which, can we get him thrown in jail?—oh no, wait. Damn. She's twenty-three. Geez...I still can't get over the fact that I'm not twenty-three yet. A few more months though!" He raised a curled fist into the air. He laughed gleefully until he noticed Sasuke again, who was sitting hunched over, heels of his palms digging painfully into his eyes, elbows resting on his knees, and remembered the seriousness of the situation.

"Sasuke, honestly…I…" The blonde-haired boy sighed wearily. "In a battle, if someone betrayed me, betrayed us, I'd do whatever I could to get back at them. No matter what the cost: a million dollars, my own life—I'd give it willing, especially for you, Sasuke. But, this kind of perfidy…I don't know what to do." He rubbed his eyes jadedly.

"I've never been involved in this sort of battle. I thought the fight against you and Orochimaru was the hardest thing I'd ever have to do. But I can't use my strength here, or else I could win. I could win and this could be over with but it's not that simple and I hate it. It hurts having to choose between you two. You three. Whatever. I don't even know anymore."

The sun, almost always shinning in Konoha, seemed to sense something was amiss because for today, it hid beneath dense, grey clouds, never to emerge to shed some light upon the two forlorn boys sitting in Sasuke Uchiha's apartment.

* * *

So, after approximately a year and two months, I finally completed chapter 5 and it's still extremely short. But I'm all out of ideas for now. I think the reason that each chapter is so diminutive in size is because I don't have a plot line for each individual chapter; I just have what's going to happen at the end but I have no idea what's going to happen to get there.

Anyway, here it is. I actually sort of like this one, which is surprising. I hardly ever like my chapters. Sorry for any mistakes!

Thanks again!


	6. Enough is Enough

* * *

Infidelity to Fidelity

_**Dovesary **_

**Disclaimer**: _I do not own Naruto. _

**Music: **_New Day, __**Kate Havnevik **_

_Author's Note_**: I cannot say thank you enough, dear reviewers. **

**Chapter Six: **Enough is Enough

* * *

_There's something to be said about a glass half full. About knowing when to say "when". I think it's a floating line; a barometer of need and desire. It's entirely up to the individual and depends on what's being poured. Sometimes all we want is a taste. Other times, there's no such thing as enough. The glass is bottomless. And all we want… is more. _

* * *

It was midday but the sun wasn't shinning and she hadn't gotten out of bed, not even to remove the eyeliner that was smudged beneath her eyes. Her gaze was listless as it flitted around her room, resting upon her one-of-a-kind designer lamp before darting to the window, decorated with billowy periwinkle drapes, and then to the glittery ceiling. Her glassy blue orbs made this short rotation countless times but she wasn't aware. Her mind was preoccupied with what was happening inwardly.

Ino, in short, felt useless. Her best friend's life had been turned upside down—by her own doing, Ino grudgingly admitted; it felt wrong to be against Sakura(rival or not)—and Ino could do nothing to flip it right side up. She had offered to grab Kakashi, hoping that by doing so she could bring peace to the disorder going on in the Uchiha apartment last night, but to no avail. Sakura rejected her offer. Possibly she thought it would have made it worse? Which, Ino granted, it might have. When Sasuke figured out it was Kakashi whom Sakura had been sleeping with, she knew he'd be livid. She herself was surprised, and a tad hurt that Sakura hadn't told her that the affair had lasted until it had spawned a baby.

Kitty-Kunoichi jumped up onto Ino's comforter and meowed loudly, her light blue eyes staring into Ino's searchingly. The girl stroked the soft, white fur absentmindedly and a rumbling purr rose steadily into the room.

The situation had grown so large and out of proportion that it was tarnishing lives. Once thrown, an apple of discord couldn't be reversed. It seemed that anyone who found out was in danger of falling from grace, so to speak. This secret of Sasuke-Sakura-Kakashi-unnamed baby. Ino idly wondered how many people knew. How many would find out before the day was over? Who was going to be the first to tell?

After all, secrets in Konoha didn't last long.

Which was odd, Ino believed, seeing as how it was a village of ninja and they were allegedly tremendously secretive. But, being a kunoichi herself, she knew that when it came to personal lives, nothing was safe from the relentless gossipers of the town. She had been one of them. Now, though…

Ino shook her head violently and flipped herself onto her stomach, burying her face deep into her pillows. Angered by the sudden movements, Kitty-Kunoichi hissed; tail fluffing in irritation as she leapt from the bed.

_How did this ever happen_? She wondered silently. _How did it come to this?_ She knew that if she was this plagued by just knowing of the clandestine romance, that Sakura had to be going through hell.

Her arms rose to cover her head as she was ravaged by a puzzling guilt. Ino didn't understand exactly why she felt it, but it was there, tearing apart her mind and whispering to her to _tell, tell, tell. _Then a new form of shame overtook her for even thinking of vocalizing the truth of the affair to someone other than the persons involved.

Right then, in that moment, Ino really wished Sakura had never told her anything.

Ignorance is bliss, after all.

* * *

"_Sakura…Sakura, wake up." Tentatively, as if they weren't used to the motions, fingers brushed away the candy colored strands that were lying across her eyes._

_She mumbled incoherently, grumpily, at the person who dared to try and wake her. Sakura gathered the sheets around her securely and tucked her head more deeply into the pillow. _

_Soft lips traced the shell of her ear. "Come on, Sakura." The male voice was quiet but held no suggestion of softness, or tenderness. Only the most optimistic would consider this show, these words, as a true change in his demeanor, and she was no longer among that positive .Sasuke had ruined that hopeful shine in her eyes; that glimmer of confidence that all would be well and right and that they would always win because they were the good guys. With his betrayal to Konoha and, most of all, to his team, he had tarnished the optimism she'd clung to most of her adolescent life. _

_Sakura squeezed her eyes shut tightly, unwilling to open them even though her happy dream had faded. She felt Sasuke's fingertips trace lightly over her knuckles and she startled slightly when the small action caused a much more significant response from her body. A momentous incident had occurred last night—they had finally formalized their physical relationship. She'd been a virgin, and he, not so much. While Sakura had been waiting all her life for this one moment with this particular boy, she had to admit that it left her feeling somewhat…unsatisfied. _

_She'd tried to ignore the nagging feeling that tugged at the back of her mind because, no matter how hard she might try, she couldn't place what, exactly, that feeling was. Finally, as she had finished rinsing him fully from her body with the warm streams of water from the shower head, she simply placed the odd feeling as being brought on from him not loving her back. _

_Sakura knew before entering a relationship with Sasuke that he wouldn't be capable of loving her back. She had accepted it; played along because she was sure she would be able to crack the ice around his heart. After all, in all the flowery Victorian romance novels she lost herself in, there was a tragic hero incapable of love but who found salvation in the arms of a beautiful heroine. _

_It was soon discovered though, that her feelings weren't ever to be reciprocated to the degree she felt them. _

"_Sakura, I know you're awake now; your breathing's change." She felt the bed move as Sasuke sat up. _

_With a small shake of her head, she removed the thoughts from her head and opened spectacular green eyes to greet the sunny morning. He looked down at her, the normally stoic face curiously tranquil. _

_Sasuke leaned over her, an arm on either side, propped on the elbows. His body aligned with hers, better than she imagined it would after just one night of intimacy between them. _

_He worked his fingers with great skill along her body, warming her terribly, wonderfully. When she thought she would combust from the oversensitive nerves he had awakened, Sasuke placed his mouth upon her skin and her body screamed with the novel pleasure. _

_Sakura opened her mouth to say, '_Enough, it's too much'_, but the pressure that had been building within her body released and white-hot heat surged through her limbs in waves of convulsing ecstasy that seemed to start and end at the epicenter between her legs. _

"_Sakura…" He gasped her name quietly, raggedly; the only sound he made as he finished. _

_Gradually, their pulses relaxed to a lazy thrum as their breathing calmed. The sweat had nearly cooled on their bodies when Sakura draped her arm across Sasuke's waist, craving the physical contact even after such an act. She rested her chin in the middle of his chest as her fingers trailed up and down his arm. _

_Silently, she feared he would reject the contact. But when she looked up at his face, the onyx eyes that gazed back into hers were as peaceful as she had ever seen. _

Her eyes opened and the reverie broke, the mental images fading in flashes as she blinked. Sakura sighed; a lengthy, miserable exhale of cheerful memories long-past and never to come again, she assumed.

She balanced precariously on the metal railing of Kakashi's deck, attempting to soak up what slim rays of sunbeams slipped through the mass of over-hanging grey clouds that dulled Konoha. Generally a place accustomed to either sunshine or downpours, this cloudy day appeared to bring all the citizens down. _At least_, she thought as she gazed upon them from her perilous elevated position, _they all seem gloomy today._

She frowned slightly.

_Or maybe it's just me. _

Sakura's frown deepened, lips pursing. She really hoped she wasn't so depressed that other people appeared sad to her as well. Possibly gloom was contagious? After all, Konoha was oddly grey today…

Maybe it was just bad luck—good luck depending on how you look at it, she figured. If she wanted to wallow in her disappointing folly, this atmosphere was ideal.

With a miserable groan she dragged clammy hands down her face.

She really needed to stop feeling bad for herself whenever Sasuke was the true victim. Sakura acknowledged that fact but she wasn't ready to forgive him for striking her. She knew she could have handled the argument better, attempted to clarify why she had slept with Kakashi for the first time and the many occasions after even if she recognized that nothing could explain away cheating.

Noises from the busy street interrupted her musings and her gaze dragged up and down the lane littered with people.

"Sakura!" a male voice called and she turned towards the sound, bringing a hand up to catch bangs that fluttered in her eyes. Green eyes widened as she recognized Kakashi walking up the steps that led to the apartment complex.

He waved up at her and she responded with a twiddle of her fingers. Kakashi made a swiping motion with his hand and it took her until he leapt from the ground to realize that he wanted her off the railing so that he could make a quick entrance into his apartment. She bounced gently off the metal ledge just as his silver hair appeared, followed by his Jounin-garbed body.

"Hey," he greeted with a small eye wrinkle. "I got that grapefruit you wanted, and the chocolate bar. I couldn't remember what type of pickles you said, dill or sweet, so I grabbed a jar of both."

He muttered to himself as he rummaged around in a large brown paper bag. "Oh. I think I forgot the cheese. Shit." He looked up at her, one eyebrow raised in question.

Sakura smiled gently at him, her heart warming at his thoughtfulness.

"Kakashi, I wasn't the one who wanted cheese. You got everything I asked for; you're the one who wanted cheese for your eggs." Her expression was full of mirth. Kakashi forgetting something was an anomaly. She knew it was her condition that caused him to be so flustered, but she couldn't help being vaguely amused.

He nodded, frowning and still searching through the sack.

"You asked for 2 milk, right?"

"Yes," she responded as she walked towards the sliding glass door that led into the apartment.

Kakashi followed her and set the bag on the mahogany countertop. With a sigh, he rested his back against the cupboards and crossed his arms, eyeing her as she too walked into the kitchen.

"You—_we, _need to go talk toSasuke." He said, dark eye somber.

Sakura sighed, back to him as she stood in the cold draft of the refrigerator. Her pink head drooped and her ponytail slid over her shoulder, a sharp contrast to the black sweater she wore.

"I know." Her voice was soft, empty.

"We should go now."

"No."

Eying her seriously, Kakashi watched as she turned, her whole demeanor changing with the pivot. Depressed and serious morphed into determined. Green eyes shone with a resolute defiance—she would go, he could tell just from that look.

"I will go, Kakashi. Alone. I need to sort things out with him."

His arms uncrossed and he nearly reached out towards her, but he held himself in check.

"I don't think—," he began, just to be interrupted.

"No. I am going by myself." Her face finally crumbled. "Please. Don't make this any harder for me. I feel like I need you with me, so that's why I have to go alone."

Kakashi nodded, eye down towards the floor, but seeing nothing. He understood what she meant.

* * *

Brisk, frosty wind yanked at her scarf and bit at her cheeks. Sakura knew she could have run to the apartment but she didn't wish to arrive that quickly, not when she had so much on her mind. She couldn't even fathom how to begin the conversation with boyfriend—well, ex-boyfriend she assumed now.

Even with her slow pace, she arrived at the place that used to be her home. She figured that Sasuke wouldn't ever want her living with him again. The thought made her heart ache. She had betrayed him. Sakura knew that was something he couldn't ever forget—possibly never forgive—when his brother had done the same thing.

_But,_ a dark part of her mind whispered, _he also betrayed you. Betrayed your team and all of Konoha. It's only fair. What goes around comes around. _

Shaking her head to dislodge that thought, Sakura raised a shaky hand, took a deep, unsteady breath, and knocked on the door that belonged to her old home.

* * *

End.

**In case you're wondering, I've sort of fallen out with Naruto. I don't watch it like I used to so updates are still going to be horribly slow. If I even finish at all. I've mainly been hooked on Death Note and Hellsing. You can read my Death Note stories on my other screen name, Dovesary. **


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